Fairhurst, Josephine Dawn

Inspection report for early years provision

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306678 Unique Reference Number 05 March 2008 Inspection date Sue Partington Inspector

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Childcare Type of inspection Childminding Type of care

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This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder has been registered since 1994. She lives with her husband, two adult children and two children aged 11 and 10 years old in Marple, Stockport, Cheshire. The whole of the ground floor is used for childminding as well as the bathroom upstairs and the rear garden for outdoor play.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of five children at any one time and is currently minding four children under five on a part time basis. The childminder walks to local schools to take and collect children. The childminder attends the local parent and toddler group. The family has a dog and four guinea pigs.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a well maintained and homely environment. The childminder promotes high levels of hygiene practices to protect children from cross infection. For example, the home is clean and tidy, she uses anti-bacterial spray before and after the preparation of food and

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Helping children to be healthy

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 provides children with individual towels to dry their hands. Children learn about personal care routines as they independently wash their hands at appropriate times of the day. They can rest in comfort and follow their own routines comfortably in a welcoming setting.

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Helping children to be healthy

The childminder is well informed of children's allergies and medical needs through the documentation she has in place. However, written parental permission to seek emergency medical advice or treatment is not held for all children. The childminder works in accordance with parents' wishes regarding the provision of food and drink. The childminder offers healthy snacks and drinks throughout the day. She gathers detailed information about the children's likes and dislikes and takes this information into account when planning snacks. The childminder works in partnership with parents to help children develop a good awareness of healthy eating and provides fruit at snack time. As a result, children are beginning to adopt healthy choices.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children happily participate in physical play, for instance, visits to local parks and toddler groups provide opportunities for healthy exercise and physical play.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play in a warm and welcoming environment. Good use is made of space and areas are used to accommodate different activities. Children are able to move around freely and play in comfort. The childminder provides a good range of resources to meet the needs of the children being cared for. Children are able to select their own toys, which are easily accessible. She rotates toys to add variety and checks them on a regular basis to ensure they are safe, therefore minimising risks to children.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Children are very well supervised and they understand and respect boundaries. The childminder has developed comprehensive policies and procedures to enable her to be prepared for emergency situations and to ensure that children are kept safe. Suitable fire precautions and evacuation plan are in place to reduce the risk of children coming to harm, however, children have not practiced the evacuation plan to date.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The childminder has a good understanding of her responsibilities for the protection of children. She has completed training and her knowledge of the procedures ensures children are safeguarded. She has the necessary documentation in place to enable her to respond appropriately in the event of identifying a concern.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children are happy and content in the care of the childminder. She has a friendly approach, giving each child a good amount of attention with plenty of cuddles and reassurance. For example, children frequently climb onto her knee for a cuddle while they look at books together. The children sing 'happy birthday' in the story, count the candles on the cake and pretend to blow them out.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children’s early communication skills are very well supported as the childminder consistently talks to them, encouraging them to engage in conversation. They spend much time reading and looking at books together and visiting the local library for story time and singing, which encourages children’s appreciation of books and extends their vocabulary. Children are interested, engaged and occupied and happily explore play opportunities within the setting.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Children's all-round development is sound and the childminder is aware of the ‘Birth to three matters’ framework and uses her knowledge to plan the next steps in children's development. The childminder fully understands the short concentration span of young children who are motivated and interested by the childminder's commitment to presenting stimulating activities to maintain their interest. These inlcude music and movement where children hold hands and skip to the music of 'if your happy and you know it', children nod heads, stamp feet and clap hands in time with the music. The childminder dedicates time playing and talking to the children on their level. She interacts with them to provide good levels of challenge appropriate to their age and stage of development. Children enjoy exploring a range of different toys and equipment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

They move from one activity to another and the childminder supports and guides their interests.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. The childminder is fully committed to the children and treats them with care and respect. She gathers information about children's individual needs to enable her to be in a position to best meet their needs. Children are regularly offered praise and reassuring smiles from the childminder.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder works in partnership with parents to ensure that managing behaviour is consistent for the children. She uses age appropriate strategies to manage children's behaviour and provides varied activities to prevent the children from becoming bored. The children receive lots of praise for their efforts and achievements to help raise their confidence and self-esteem.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children are encouraged to become independent in daily life through learning how to put away toys and to make their own selections. Positive images of race, gender and disability are promoted throughout in books and toys and children play with all resources.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The childminder has developed a good partnership with parents and provides a comprehensive portfolio which is shown and discussed with parents at the initial meeting. This helps to forge an effective working relationship and a shared understanding with parents from an early stage. Information about children's progress and interesting events are verbally shared with parents on a daily basis to ensure the continuity of care.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. The childminder is fully aware of all organisational policies and procedures required in order to ensure that children are safe and protected. She has a valid first aid certificate ensuring she has up to date knowledge of what to do in the event of an accident. She is well organised and children's individual needs are supported by the childminder's documentation. Children's records are up to date and are stored individually for the effective management of the provision and to ensure confidentiality.

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Organisation

Children are settled and relaxed in the homely environment where they are able to make choices and select from a range of organised and accessible resources in play areas. They enjoy opportunities to play in the garden, visit local parks and toddler groups as part of a planned daily timetable.

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Organisation

Overall, the provision meets the needs of the range of the children for whom it provides.

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Organisation

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection recommendations were raised in relation to documentation, more details required on medication forms and to provide smoke alarms on every level of the house. Children's safety, health and welfare is enhanced as these recommendations have been fully addressed.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards. The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure written parental permission to seek emergency medical advice or treatment is in place for each child • ensure the fire evacuation procedure is practised.

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The quality and standards of the care

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the care

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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